At the recent Georgia Chamber “Rural Prosperity: North Georgia Forum,” POWER 10 CEO Sean Mikula, POWER 10 EVP Amity Farrar, and Habersham Partnership for Growth Executive Director Tim Lee (a POWER 10 client) were honored to lead a panel discussion on “Success Stories in Raising Capital for Rural Communities.”
Sean, Amity, and Tim highlighted the example-setting campaign wins achieved in support of economic development programs by the rural communities of Habersham County, GA, and Van Wert County, OH.
Click here for the Habersham and Van Wert Case Study slides
What made Habersham and Van Wert counties successful?
Both organizations:
- Clearly identified the “problem” to be solved / need or opportunity to be addressed
- Developed responsive plan (doesn’t have to be perfect!)
- Refined the plan with direct input from prospective funders during the pre-campaign funding feasibility study
- Had strong (vocal, example-setting) private sector leaders
- Successfully navigated public-private scenario
- Had a “record to run on” – previous results / credibility
- Communicated well with prospective and existing investors
In his closing remarks, Tim Lee encouraged economic development executives to (a) know who your top three business leaders are and keep them close as they are critical to plan and campaign success, (b) BE BOLD, and (C) NEVER, EVER GIVE UP.
